Advice On Applying For Residency in Ireland, for a Disabled US citizen.

Bram92

Hi All,

This is probably a bit of a complex issue but I would really appreciate practical advice on the matter if at all possible.

I have a partner, who is a US citizen, not gonna disclose too much personal info about her (except what she has given me permission to disclose for the purpose of this form) she is hoping to relocate permanently to Ireland, with the first step being residency, but this is where we are encountering some difficulties.

Basically, my partner is chronically ill, so her work options are limited, she is doing her best to try to get around this health obstacle, but I know that to even have a chance for a US citizen to gain residency in Ireland you need to prove to the immigration authorities here, that you have an independent income……She is starting college in January where she'll get quite a good stipend, it's a real college, but she is doing it virtually, with the hope of being able to continue her studies in Ireland, however I've been advised by two of my colleagues - I work in the civil service, and one of my colleagues is a naturalized American citizen and the other used to work in immigration services for 15 years before switching to my department, that the authorities might take issue with the fact she is attending classes online instead of in person, so this might not be counted as a source of independent financial means.

She is also in the early stages of setting up an online jewelry and painting store via Etsy, though this will obviously take sometime to make bank on she says Etsy require you to submit tax forms so she is hoping that she can use those forms as verification of an independent income. The two colleagues I spoke to seemed unsure about the rules/regulations regarding self-employment and they aren't sure whether this would work in practice or not. I did some digging around and it seems regarding stamp 4 (which is the immigration stamp she would most likely qualify under) you are permitted to "establish a business" here in Ireland… So maybe that would be counted as a viable independent income??? If anyone can give me clarity on that point I'd be greatly appreciated.

Finally, I have done some research and it seems that US citizens in receipt of social security are entitled to still get that US social security in Ireland if they have 260 weeks of paid contributions. Her living circumstances are a bit complex, as she has had to move state, for reasons I'm not getting into on this form but long story short she has had to re-apply for social security, and her case will be settled by February 2025 she hopes, so not too long more, however there is still a disruption in the time she was on social security, since she had to move state, and has had to start the process again (which usually you don't have to do, but I won't get into the why's of that here).

I've also been told that the 90 day visa free period for US citizens to visit Ireland is not counted towards obtaining residency which is frustrating, to say the least. She is going to try to come here late next year, all going well with her college/social security claim she should have enough to pay for flights and come for the visa-free period, and then we plan to investigate further options while she's here.

But, I'd like as much advice on obtaining residency for people with limited work possibilities, whose main income is probably going to be limited self-employment plus social security.

I make a decent salary as a civil servant but not enough to support both of us and also she wants to have her own independent income anyway and doesn't want my support, which is both understandable and commendable.

In case anyone wishes to ask why I don't consider moving to the US, to make things easier for her, well I am disabled myself (not to the extent she is but still strongly visually impaired) and it's unlikely Id qualify for a Green Card anytime soon if ever, and I have a full-time job and decent accommodation here, which are both luxuries in modern-day Ireland, so I am very reluctant to give either up, plus a part-time job (lecturing at uni) that I do outside my full-time hours. So going to the US and flying by the seat of my pants trying to find work there seems like a self-defeating strategy. Due to being disabled, it took me ages to find work here even as a natural born Irish citizen, the employment rate for the disabled here is atrociously low, so I want to cling into the two jobs I have for as long as possible.

I've discussed all this with my partner and she wants to leave the US anyway, so we are both agreed that is the best step, neither of us are opposed to going elsewhere outside of Ireland eventually but we see Ireland as medium-term destination at least.

So any advice you can give on the best way for her to be eligible for applying for residency would be greatly appreciated.

I guess as a final amendentment

She has Irish ancestry on both sides of her family, though we are not sure if it would be enough to qualify her for citizenship, as we think she falls JUST outside the threshold, though she also (possibly) has cousins living here today, which might make her eligiable for citizenship via association though I am not even 100% sure about that so if someone could clarify how that works/doesn't work as well that would be great.

I am really looking for practical advice on how to solve these issues not just negativity saying "it can't be done" I know that it is extremely difficult I am fully aware of that fact but I want practical suggestions on how we can overcome the difficulties.

Any help at all would be greatly appreciated. Also, boards.ie have asked me to select a category for this topic, I selected "newbies and FAQ" because I didn't know where else to put it. I was hoping for an immigration section or something along those lines but there doesn't seem to be a category for that, unless I have missed it. If so please guide me in the right direction

Fishdoodle

I’m not sure of the procedure for residency.
Perhaps applying for an Irish passport might be the most straightforward route. It’s unclear how far her Irish ancestry goes back.
However, a quick Google search indicates that consideration may apply to great grandparents. And an immigration lawyer might speed up the process.

From Uk website:

https://ie.iasservices.org.uk/how-to-get-an-irish-passport-by-descent/#can-i-get-irish-citizenship-if-my-great-grandparents-were-irish

Might be some useful info here also

https://www.irishimmigration.ie

RurtBeynolds

There's a lot of irrelevant information in your post.

It sounds like she doesn't know if she's eligible for citizenship based on ancestry. This seems like the first thing to clarify?

Other than that, your post can be summarized as "how can an unemployed American become an Irish resident?" and you've answered that question in your OP.